Darlene K. Arakaki

Darlene K. Arakaki serves as a Contract Specialist within the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical procurements that support secure, resilient, and interoperable information systems for global military operations. She manages the full lifecycle of acquisitions for telecommunications, cybersecurity, and IT services, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and alignment with DISA’s strategic priorities in command and control infrastructure and cyber-enabled decision-making. Her work directly enables the agency’s mission to sustain high-bandwidth global connectivity and modernize mission-critical software platforms through timely and compliant contracting actions. While specific contractor names are not disclosed, Arakaki maintains consistent working relationships with a broad spectrum of vendors specializing in wired telecommunications, secure network services, and enterprise IT support. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, resulting in strong vendor partnerships with firms capable of delivering scalable, secure, and interoperable solutions under strict DoD security standards. She routinely engages with contractors possessing specialized certifications in cybersecurity and network resilience to meet DISA’s operational demands. Arakaki’s contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 87.5% of awards issued without set-asides. However, she actively supports small business participation, with 12.5% of acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This demonstrates a balanced commitment to both operational efficiency and socioeconomic goals, consistently aligning with DoD initiatives to broaden vendor diversity without compromising mission readiness. Her primary NAICS focus includes wired telecommunications carriers (517111), security systems services (561621), and other computer-related services (541519), reflecting deep expertise in procuring secure network infrastructure, cyber defense services, and enterprise IT support solutions. She specializes in acquisitions involving classified and unclassified network modernization, secure data transmission, and mission-critical software integration for DoD-wide operations.